Happy Birthday Anna...

I am feeling a little reflective tonight, as I sit and think about Anna turning 5 tomorrow, such a big age. She is her own person now. Fun, sweet, compassionate, silly, giggly, giving, kind, dramatic, beautiful and about 1000 other adjectives that could describe all that is great with the world. She has grown into such a neat person. I am so proud to say that I actually like her as more than my daughter, but as the person she has become. Maybe part of it is because she is a lot like me. I see so much of myself in her. She is anxious of new things and many things in general, she loves brightly colored clothes, she loves to snuggle, to organize, to eat, to laugh and she isn't afraid to make new friends. I have been told my my parents on more than one occasion, usually in a fit of Anna's drama, that she is just like me as a child. There are many things that are like T.J. as well, like her sense of humor, her love of art, her desire to make others laugh....even if it may be a bit over the line, and her love of Super Mario Bros. Then there are so many things that are so uniquely Anna. Her love of music, making up songs, dancing, singing, making up stories and knowing just when you need a hug or a laugh. She is an amazing big sister, cousin and friend. She is so smart and proud of the new things she learns. Sometimes I wonder who I was before she made me a mother, because I can't imagine I was even an ounce of the person she has helped me to be. For such a young child she has been through a lot. She has lost a baby brother, a baby sister and a foster brother. She has understood and thrived through each of these situations and made her daddy and I stronger, by seeing the strength she has. She welcomed a new brother with open arms and said goodbye to a dear friend in the last year. Things as adults we don't understand, yet she has still set a shining example for us. She has more wisdom in her little words and has lived more life than some adults I know.

As I think back to this day 5 years ago, I was preparing to go to the hospital for my induction. I think of how I could have never known how my life would change that day for the better and forever. I thank God everyday for this child that he helped us to create. There is not a doubt in my mind that she will do great things when she grows up. She has become such an incredible little girl in the past 5 years and I am so excited to continue to discover who she will become. Happy 5th Birthday Anna Banana.....